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Fission-fusion dynamics in wild giraffes may be driven by kinship, spatial overlap and individual social preferences

Many species exhibit fission-fusion dynamics, yet the factors that influence the frequent changes in group size and membership in these species have not been widely studied. Social ties may be influenced by kinship but animals may also form preferred associations because of social attraction or may only associate because they have similar habitat preferences. We investigated the association patterns of 535 wild giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis, in Etosha National Park, Namibia using behavioural and genetic data from individually identified giraffes. We

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Home range and seasonal movements of Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis in the northern Namib Desert

Estimates of home range size of giraffe in the northern Namib Desert were on average larger than those in other populations. In particular, the largest individual home range of any giraffe bull (1950 km2) was recorded – correlated with low population density, reduced forage density and increased searching for receptive cows. The predominant pattern of movement was linear, along the riparian environments, however, large-scale irregular movements into tributaries and other areas were also recorded. Small-scale movements by bulls into the

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Home range — body mass relations: a field study on African browsing ruminants

Home range data were collected concurrently from four syntopic browsing ruminant species in a conserved savanna ecosystem. Mean home range areas were: giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) 282 km^2; kudu (Tragelaphus strepciceros) 21.9 km^2; impala (Aepyceros melampus) 5.81 km^2; steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) 0.62 km^2. Home range area (Ahr) scaled on body mass (M) as: Ahr = 0.024 M^1.38 (r^2 = 0.99).

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GIRAFFES

The giraffe, Girafa camelopardalis, is distributed widely in Africa, although in many territories numbers have decreased greatly during the past century. In West Africa, a few are said to live in the Ferlo district, but there are none in Gambia, Sierra Leone or Liberia. In French West Africa, the once extensive range of the giraffe has become very reduced, and it is now found in number in only two regions-the first in the Mtnaka district, and the second around Aderbissinat.

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Seasonal movements of giraffes in Niger

The last population of giraffes in west Africa lives in Niger in an unprotected Sahelian region inhabited by farmers and herders. The spatial behaviour of each individual of the population (n = 63) was studied by direct observation during 15 mo. Two-thirds of the population were resident in the tiger bush in the rainy season and in the nearby area of Harikanassou, a sandy agricultural region, in the dry season. Rainy season and dry season home ranges were mutually exclusive

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Social behaviour in captive reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata): Analysis of enclosure use and social interactions between giraffes housed at Whipsnade Zoo

Wild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) herds have been described as random associations of individuals, but recent research has suggested that giraffe do form social bonds and have a complex social structure. The aims of this investigation were to determine whether a group of three captive giraffe associated randomly or patterned their behaviour and proximity in a way that suggests social relationships. Also to analyse how the giraffe use their enclosure in order for the zoo to develop the enrichment program to

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Social organization and behaviour of giraffe in Tsavo East National Park

Social organization and behaviour of giraffes were studied in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, by means of road strip counts and observations of individually known animals. Most groups comprised of one to ten animals, with a maximum of thirty‐five and a mean of 3.8. Group size and composition varied locally to some extent. Single adult males constituted the commonest group type; in groups of two or more animals the sexes were usually mixed. Groups were loose and open; close inter‐individual

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Identifying conservation constraints for the last West African giraffe: population dynamics determining factors and spatial distribution pattern

One of the main challenges for endangered species protection in Africa is to find a sustainable way of integrating objectives of nature conservation with the economic development needs of the local human population. Last West African giraffe population, Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, lives in Niger. These giraffe are unique for several reasons: (i) they represent the only population of peralta sub-species, and (ii) they live in an area densely populated by humans, (iii) which is unprotected and (iv) without predators. In

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Range movements of giraffe in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia

The range movements of a small population of giraffe in the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia were studied over a period of 4.5 years. The majority of the adults of both sexes were found to move over distances in excess of 40 km though only two, both males, moved farther than 50 km. The average home range size was 82 km^2 for males and 68 km^2 for females respectively though these figures are regarded as conservative. Twelve crossings of the

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Home ranges, seasonal ranges and daily movements of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in northern Botswana

Introduction: Movement studies have been conducted on various giraffe subspecies across different ecological and management environments in Africa. However, prior to recent advancements in technology, studies were limited to identification methods relying on chance encounters of individuals (e.g. Foster, 1966; Berry, 1978; le Pendu & Ciofolo, 1999) and VHF radio-tracking (e.g. Langman, 1973; Dagg & Foster, 1982), which can underestimate movements (Fennessy, 2009). Now, GPS satellite units enable remote monitoring of movements with the increased ability to collect more accurate

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